Vertical adjustment means for tamping tool carrier of railroad ballast tamping machines



April 28," 1959 F. PLASSER ET AL 2,883,941

VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR TAMPING TOOL CARRIER OF RAILROAD BALLAST TAMPING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 13, l95 4\ INENTOR. RM Z Assam L. 1 6? HevaeR United States Patent VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT MEANS FOR TAMPING TOOL CARRIER OF RAILROAD BALLAST TAlVIP- ING MACHINES Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, Vienna, Austria Original application October 13, 1954, Serial No. 462,086. Divided and this application March 15, 1956, Serial No. 571,812

1 Claim. (Cl. 104-12) The present invention relates to track tamping machines, and more particularly to means for adjusting the vertical position of the tamping tool carrier of such machines.

This application is a division of our co-pending application Serial No. 462,086, filed October 13, 1954, now Patent No. 2,876,709, dated March 10, 1959.

Railroad ballast tamping machines comprise, broadly, a carriage traveling on the railroad tracks, a plurality of tamping tools mounted on a tool carrier, and posts in the carriage frame upon which the tamping tool carrier is vertically slidably mounted.

The manner of vertically adjusting the tamping tool carrier has not been satisfactorily solved heretofore, and it is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide improvements in vertical adjusting means for such carriers.

It is a more particular object of the invention to provide a balanced and symmetrical tamping tool carrier structure to assure satisfactory vertical movement thereof.

According to the invention, the posts for slidably supporting the tamping tool carrier are symmetrically arranged in respect of the carrier and pressure-fluid means is provided for moving the carrier up and down on said posts, the posts themselves constituting part of said pres sure-fluid means. Pneumatic or hydraulic pressure may be used for vertically moving the carrier.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tamping tool carrier has guide cylinders and the posts have pistons arranged to glide in said cylinders, pressure fluid conduits being connected to the two chambers formed in the cylinders by the pistons, whereby the carrier may be lifted and lowered by directing pressure fluid in a controlled manner to the one or the other chamber.

The accurately balanced, symmetrical arrangement and support of the vertically movable tamping tool carrier of the present invention has many structural advantages designed to assure an economical operation of the track tamping machine and to prevent breakdowns.

For instance, if the track tamping machine is of the well known and generally used type, wherein an eccentric shaft journaled in the tamping tool carrier actuates the tamping tools, the balance and symmetry of the carrier may be further improved by arranging the motor for driving the eccentric shaft exactly centered between the posts on the carrier, preferably above the eccentric shaft and with its driving axle parallel thereto. This arrangement not only assures the desired balance of the tamping tool carrier and facilitates its construction but it also considerably simplifies the power transmission between the actuating motor axle and the eccentric shaft. For instance, this power transmission may be effected at both ends of the axle and shaft by means of a noiseless and vibration-free V-belt drive.

If desired, the tamping tool carrier may also constitute the container for the hydraulic pressure fluid, i.e.. oil, and it may carry not only the pressure pump for Patented Apr. 28, 1959 ice the hydraulic fluid but also the control organs for adjusting the pressure fluid flow to the respective cylinder chambers, such as dampers, valves, etc. Finally, the hydraulic pressure pump, i.e. a screw pump, may be actu ated by the motor arranged on the tamping tool carrier.

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully set forth in the following detailed description of one illustrative embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of-the track tamping machine, partially in schematic section; and

Fig. 2 is a front view of the actuating motor and its connection with the eccenter shaft, also partially in section.

The present invention is shown applied to a track tamping machine of the type fully described and illustrated in our above-mentioned parent application Serial No. 462,086. In the present application, only those parts will be described in detail which form the subject matter of the presently claimed invention.

As shown, the track tamping machine travels on track 18 resting on sleepers 16. Hollow posts 5 are mounted with their respective ends in carriage frame 1, tamping tool carrier 2 being vertically slidably supported on the two posts. Eccentric shaft 3 is journalled in the carrier at right angle to the tracks. Tamping tool support arms 11 are connected to the shaft in a manner known per se, tamping tools 13 being linked to the support arms at their upper end. At their approximate center, the tamping tools are pivoted to an element 12 which is movable in the direction of the arrow, i.e. parallel to the tracks. None of this mechanism is described or illustrated in detail since it is of no importance in regard to the invention. The lower ends of the tamping tools engage ballast 17. When the tamping tools are vibrated by rotating eccentric shaft 3 and pairs of cooperating tamping tools adjacent sleepers 16 are simultaneously moved toward each other by elements 12, ballast underneath the sleeper is packed together by the pressure of the approaching and vibrating tamping tools.

As shown, the carriage frame is preferably mounted in the carriage by means of resilient cushioning members 19 and the posts are resiliently mounted in carriage frame 1 by means of cushioning member 20 to reduce transmission of vibration from eccentric shaft 3 to the other parts of the machine.

Eccentric shaft 3, which actuates the vibratory movement of tamping tools 13, is suitably driven by an electric motor 4 whose axle 21 is parallel to the eccentric shaft and which is mounted centrally on the vertically movable tamping tool carrier between posts 5. This arrangement assures further symmetry and balance of the carrier structure. The motor is adapted to move up and down with the tamping tool carrier and is connected to a power plant, i.e. a diesel motor, which may be arranged, for instance, in the rear end of the carriage, merely by means of an electric cable. No troublesome mechanical connections, such as belt drives, universal shafts, etc. are needed or used.

Preferably, eccentric shaft 3, which rotates in bearings 24, has eccentric bushings 25 arranged at both ends, V-belt pulleys 23 being mounted on the bushings. Thus, the power transmission from motor axle 21 goes from V-belt drive 10' to pulley 23, eccentric bushing 25 and to tamping tool support arms 11, which transmit the vibratory movement to the upper portions of tamping tools 13.

The tamping tool carrier is vertically adjustably mounted on at least two parallel posts 5, which makes it possible to arrange motor 4 at the center of gravity of carrier 2, thereby assuring a symmetrical, balanced arrangement of the tamping tool carrier.

Posts '5 are provided with pistons 6 and carrier 2. has guidecylinders 7, the piston and the cylinder cooperating to form a pressure-controlled means for raising and lowering the carrier. Pressure fluid conduits which are formed by bores in posts 5, open into cylinder 7 aboveand below piston 6, the latter disecting the cylinder into two pressure chambers. If pressure fluid, such as air, oil and the like, is applied through conduits 14 and 115 to one or Y the other cylinder chamber, the tamping tool carrier .will move up or down on posts 5.

The pressure fluid supply means may be arranged on thecarriage but it is also possible to use the pressure fluid used for the reciprocating movement of the tamping tools for this additional purpose. As shown, this pressure fluid 1 is a supply of oil 9 stored in the tamping tool carrier which has the form of an oil tank.

- In the illustrated embodiment of the machine, pressure pump 8, as well as all conventional slides, valves and other pressure control organs (not shown), are arranged on tamping tool carrier 2, which serves as container for the pressure fluid. Preferably, a rotary pump is used to produce hydraulic pressure for the approaching movement of the tamping tools, the pump being actuated by belt or sprocket drive 10 connected to axle 21 of electro-motor 4, which is also used for the actuation of eccentric shaft 3.

'The hydraulic control system for moving the tamping disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope'of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What we claim is:

In a railroad ballast tamping machine comprising acarriage frame, a tamping tool carrier, a plurality of tamping tools mounted on said carrier, and an eccentric shaft mounted in bushing means on the carrier, said shaft being in operative connection withthe tamping tools for imparting vibratory movement thereto: two vertical posts mounted with their respective ends in the frame, (said posts being symmetrically positioned on each sidetof the eccentric shaft longitudinally of the carriage frame and slidably supporting the carrier inthe frame, a double acting cylinder rigidly connected to said carrier around each post, hydraulic fluid pressure means connectedtozsaid cylinders for moving the carrier-up and down on the-posts and for supporting it thereon, an actuating rnotonfor the eccentric shaft, said motor being mounted on the bushing means of the eccentric shaft centrally between the vertical posts with its axle parallel to and above the eccentric shaft, and power transmission means connecting themotor axle and the eccentric shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 727,013 Springer May 5, 1903 1,415,194 Robinson May 9, 1922 1,914,348 Whitehouse June 13,1933 1,980,704 Scheuchzer Nov. 13, 1934 2,322,193 Kaemmerling June 15, 1943 2,550,925 Weimar May 1, 1951 2,596,475 Flygare May 13, 1952 2,712,287 Zurmuhle July 5, 1955 2,789,516 Hursh et a1 Apr. 23, 1957 2,791,971 Schnellmann May 14,1957 

